Polish Emigration to the UK

Polish Emigration to the UK

1. Push Factors of Poland

   • Average Unemployment is 18.5%
   • Youth unemployment is 40%
   • Wages are 1/3 of EU average
   • Housing shortages

2. Pull factors of the UK

   • Unemployment is only 6%
   • High demand for semi-skilled labour
     • e.g. plumbers
   • 600 000 job vacancies
     • in 2007
   • Good exchange rate
     • sending a few pounds home will have a big impact
   • higher standards of living

3. Intervening Obstacles

   • language barrier
     • lots of schools have difficulties with children speaking little english
     • issues with providing healthcare
       • many migrants don't go to their GP due to the language barrier
   • Minor
     • UK one of 3 EU countries not to limit immigration
     • Worker Registration scheme
       • allowed migrants right of entry and the right to work
   • Religion
     • Catholic country
   • Ethnic Tensions

4. Impacts on the UK

   • Positive
     • £2.5 billion contributed to the economy
     • up to 1% of UK growth in 2006
       • due to immigrant labour
     • Helped to balance out dependency ratio
       • 80% of immigrants under 35
         • taxes help pay for pensions
       • 30% between 20-24
     • Fill skills gap
       • e.g. plumbers
     • Willing to do low skill/paid jobs
       • majority employed in factories
     • known for being hard working
     • 97% of eastern European migrants found work in the UK
     • Polish migrnats have intergrated well into society
       • unlike other migrant groups
       • no geographic concerntrations
         • rural and urban
   • Negative
     • Tensions have arisen in areas of large scale immigration
     • Strain on services with larger population
       • NHS
     • High proportion of payments are sent back home to Poland
     • Higher demand for housing
       • forces pries up
     • Increase in certain types of crime
       • motoring offences
       • drink driving
       • increased costs and workload of police force
     • lots brought dependants with them
       • 27 000 child benefit applications approved
   • Host Country

5. Impacts on Poland

   • Positive
     • Injection of money through remittances
       • £3 billion in 2006
     • Less pressure on resources
       • schools hospitals
     • Incentivised improvements to living standards
   • Negatives
     • Brain drain on skilled workers emigrating
     • Shortage of workers
       • young, economically active leave
   • Source Country

6. How the trand has been encouraged

   • Poland was part of the A8/A10 countries admitted to the EU
     • EU law allows free movement
   • No limits in UK of numbers of immigrants

7. How the trend has been discouraged

   • Rate of immigration is slowing
     • as living conditions and wages improve in Poland
   • Polish government offering schemes and cash bonuses to stay in poland
   • decreased economic appeal of the UK with economic growth and increasing strength of the Zloty

8. Problems

   • 70% of eastern European migrants are not making ful use of their qualifications and skills
   • increasing problem of workers being exploited by their employers
     • e.g. not being paid

9. 650 000 polish immigrants in the UK in 2008

   • 3rd largest ethnic minority in the UK